Who should CUSA add? Probably teams to keep Saint Louis happy so they don't leave for the MVC. The most obvious choice would be Tulsa which is close to St.Louis. Then I think the last spot is between SMU and Marshall. They would probably pick Marshall because of their southern fan base and they wouldn't want to take SMU and leave Rice behind in the WAC.

CUSA East
Marshall, East Carolina, Charlotte, UAB, USF, Southern Miss

CUSA West
Saint Louis, Memphis, Tulsa, TCU, Houston, Tulane

If Cincy and L'ville bolt along with Marquette and DePaul toward some reconfigured BEast then this is a distinct possibility.

However, in this scenario if the MVC asked St.Louis to come, they'd come. Marshall and Tulsa probably don't bring enough to keep them around when they could go compete against Creighton, So.Ill and SW Mo. State. This is already a consistent two bid conference, and the above group you've mentioned in the new C-USA may not be.

This is not an automatic. St.Louis could easily jump ship for a more basketball focus to the MVC (if asked).

A. If the ACC petition for ten-member championships fails, that might be better for CUSA. This might force the MWC to go to 12, which would effectively kill the WAC, IMO. Which means CUSA would be in a position to choose from the myraid of schools begging for inclusion.

B. I don't think the CUSA should venture into MAC territory. Marshall is attractive and may bolt for bigger bowl opportunities, but I see the MAC as poised for positive realignments of their own. The problem with the MAC is the perception/reality of being all schools from Ohio and Michigan. If some members are forced to drop their football, I can see the MAC bringing in Temple, and possibly a Western Kenucky or MTSU in the future. Always mid-major, but more diverse than the current lineup. Personally, I think ECU would work there as well, given it's distance from other CUSA schools.

C. Ultimately, CUSA should build on the regional identities for the southeast and southwest. Look at the CUSA map courtesy of Cybercat(http://collegesportsinfo/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60&action=display&start=15). If Louisville and Cincinatti do indeed move on, the remaining members would be fairly tight with the exception of ECU. Simply taking in the eastern WAC schools (La. Tech, SMU, Rice, and Tulsa) could easily fit the bill, but there might be some desire to also go after UCF, MTSU or an Arkansas St. Granted ECU moving elsewhere and UAB dropping down would resolve a lot of this discussion, too!

Ultimately I think the geography and the existing bowl deals will save the CUSA. Especially when you see the line of schools going north-south from Texas to Oklahoma and Nebraska; Everything west from there is so sparse that I just can't see how a southern-based CUSA would not be attractive.

C-USA could get raided by the WAC. TCU has said that it may leave unless the C-USA keeps Louisville and Cincinnati or if it adds two new Texas teams. If Louisville and Cincinnati did leave, TCU would have the choice to stay in the C-USA if it added SMU and Rice, or go to the WAC if it added TCU and Houston. Which would they choose?
A C-USA with USF, ECU, SMU,

I meant to say which would they choose?
A C-USA with ECU, USF, USM, Tulane, Memphis, UAB, TCU, UH, SMU, and Rice and possibly some one else too.
or a WAC with Fresno St., Hawaii, Nevada, La. Tech, Rice, UTEP, SMU, San Jose St., SMU, Tulsa, TCU, or UH? ???

C-USA is really not that old, and has some decent teams. They have two big problems: (a) Most of the schools are in the shadow of the SEC, and thus get somewhat the secondary treatment. They do not have any real turf to call their very own; (2) While most are in nice size urban areas, which helps with travel and media, they are spread out geographically. This makes it a bit more difficult in cultivating more intense rivalries.
If L'ville and Cincy do leave for a reconfigured Big East, it may in the long run be a plus for C-USA if they do some reconfiguring on their own. There are some roots to the old basketball Metro Conference. C-USA could become more fundamentally southern, with its stretch from East Carolina into Texas, enhancing its gulf region emphasis. They really need to consider adding a couple of teams such as Central Florida and La Tech. SMU and/or Rice perhaps also for consideration as well as one or two from the Sun Belt. In other words, they have options to expand with L'ville and Cincy leaving, and some new candidates would be excellent geographic fits.

C-USA could get raided by the WAC. TCU has said that it may leave unless the C-USA keeps Louisville and Cincinnati or if it adds two new Texas teams. If Louisville and Cincinnati did leave, TCU would have the choice to stay in the C-USA if it added SMU and Rice, or go to the WAC if it added TCU and Houston. Which would they choose?
A C-USA with USF, ECU, SMU,

Sorry, meant to say that no C-USA team is moving into that WAC - the EWAC is probably worse than the sun belt and that is a long way to travel to play boise, hawaii and fresno. C-USA very well may have to invite a couple of those teams, and it would be nice if they would improve
The MAC points are interesting - if the MAC could cull out half of its league, it would be on par with c-usa, mwc and the new be. Perhaps they can realign the MAC, or pull in 4-5 teams to comprise a northern division of c-usa.

Here is Dennis Dodd's thoughts on BCS anti-trust hearing.
http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/6613673He believes that the C. USA will fall of the college football map. He says that it is speculated that Tulane and Houston will go to the WAC and South Florida and Memphis will go to the MAC. I have never heard anything about them going to the MAC.

This is news to MAC followers also. Coupled with UCF's overture to join the MAC in all sports, maybe Con-USA is already dead!

East Carolina interim chancellor Bill Shelton was in Chicago on Sunday for a board of directors meeting of Conference USA. Shelton said no action was taken regarding institutions leaving or joining the league.

“We discussed some scenarios but our intent was to be as expeditious as possible in continuing to be as strong a conference as possible,” Shelton said. “No decisions were made as far as any members leaving the league or on any new members joining.”

Louisville and Cincinnati aligning with the Big East football-playing schools has been widely speculated. There are also reports that C-USA could lose Marquette and DePaul to the Big East as well as Charlotte and Saint Louis to the Atlantic 10.

“I acknowledge that there has been a great deal of speculation, but we have not been formally notified of any changes,” Shelton said

_________________The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

ESPN.com news services
In the aftermath of the Atlantic Coast Conference's successful bid to draw Miami and Virginia Tech away from the Big East earlier this year, the overtures keep on coming in the musical-chair world of college football teams and conferences.

According to the Dallas Morning News for its Wednesday editions, Conference USA and SMU have engaged in talks for the possibility of the Mustangs to join the conference.

Larry Copeland, SMU's athletic director, cites geography as an attractive reason to join C-USA, which could also woo Rice and Tulsa from the WAC as well to set up strong rivalries.

"Every scenario we might be interested in would have a geographic proximity, where fans can get to games," Copeland told the Morning News. "It's really hard now when you put conferences together to find schools that are absolutely compatible. "So you go for things that make things compatible otherwise -- whether it be a western division of C-USA or eastern division of the WAC."

C-USA will need to act fast if, as anticipated, it loses Louisville, Cincinnati, DePaul and Marquette to the Big East, the Morning News reported.

"No decisions have been made," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky told the paper. "There are a wide variety of options being discussed."

_________________The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

C-USA is going to go after Marshall and UCF when Cincy and Louisville leave the conference. Here is the story from the Tampa Tribune.
*******
C-USA To Be Proactive In Replacing Defectors

TAMPA - Facing the reality it could lose six members to other leagues, Conference USA is prepared to extend invitations to at least four teams from the Mid-American and Western Athletic conferences to form a 12-team, all-sports league in 2005.
UCF, Marshall, SMU, Tulsa and Rice are the leading candidates to replace Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul, who reportedly are headed to the Big East, and Charlotte and Saint Louis, who could move to the Atlantic 10, C-USA sources said Monday.

C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky would not discuss specific teams but said his league has been contacted by ``about 10 institutions'' interested in joining C-USA.

``We have no agreements in place, but we are very focused on what contingency plans will make the conference stronger in the future,'' said Banowsky, who met with C-USA's presidents Sunday in Chicago. ``If an institution or institutions leave, we have a general feel for those scenarios.''

The loss of six members - plus Army, which announced last month it was leaving C-USA after the 2004 season - would leave C-USA with eight all-sports members - USF, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane and UAB.

C-USA could then turn its sights to UCF and Marshall of the MAC and SMU, Tulsa and Rice of the WAC.

``We're trying to be ready to go so there's no lag time once the Big East makes its decision,'' a C-USA source said. ``The league is very proactive on what it needs to do. We prefer a 12-team all-sports model because everyone is then dealing with apples and apples instead of apples and oranges.''

C-USA's current membership features 11 football members and four non-football members.

``It's safe to say the conference, and USF, is looking at the opportunity to be stronger regardless of what happens,'' USF Athletic Director Lee Roy Selmon said. ``We're looking at the opportunity to get better to strengthen our position as an institution.

``With the changing landscape of college athletics, this won't be the last time this sort of thing happens. Who knows, we might find ourselves in this situation again, so we have to strive to have the best program we can overall.''

C-USA consultant Chuck Neinas, the former College Football Association executive director and Big Eight Conference commissioner, said there are a myriad of details to be addressed.

``Hopefully once the Big East makes a determination, Conference USA can act with all appropriate speed,'' Neinas said. ``I'm optimistic the outcome will be positive. In certain ways, the league can be stronger. But you play the cards you're dealt, and we don't know what cards are there yet.''

Although the MAC created a national splash this past weekend with three Top 25 upsets, C-USA offers more bowl opportunities, larger television markets and a bigger revenue stream.

C-USA has five bowl tie-ins, compared to three for the WAC and two for the MAC.

C-USA has pursued SMU, UCF and Marshall before. In 1999, SMU was expected to receive an invitation with TCU, but the league didn't want to expand beyond 14 basketball members and opted for East Carolina, already a football member.

Then in August 2001, after several attempts to convince Navy to join C-USA, the league decided to invite Marshall and UCF with the thinking Army eventually would leave the league. However, before an official invitation was extended, UCF received an offer to join the MAC.

MAC spokesman Gary Richter said MAC members giving at least two years notice of leaving must pay a $200,000 fee, or $400,000 with less than two years notice.

WAC spokesman Dave Chaffin said WAC members must notify the league before Sept. 1 of their intentions to leave the following season and then forfeit their shares of the league's year-end revenues.

``Ideally we wouldn't lose any members,'' Banowsky said. ``There is no specific timetable [to replace schools], but we will move as rapidly as we can to make sure we do a thorough job.''

Although Louisville and Cincinnati are the leading candidates to leave C-USA for the Big East, support for USF is growing, the Hartford Courant reported.

Selmon, however, said USF ``has not had any contact one way or another from the Big East.''

Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson said he was informed by Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese that the Tigers were no longer a candidate, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported last week.

Also last week, a Houston television station obtained a letter from WAC Commissioner Karl Benson urging his league's presidents to take advantage of C-USA's uncertain future by targeting Tulane, TCU and Houston.

However, Neinas said he felt ``relatively confident Tulane, TCU and Houston aren't going to the WAC.''

*********
Marshall & UCF posters were at best luke warm to the idea of joining Con USA. Without Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, De Paul, St. Louis & Charlotte the move would only be lateral at best. (only TCU is considered a good bargaining chip and if they leave C-USA, forget it)UCF is more warm to the idea, but only because of their southern exposure and less travel expense for non-football sports.

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